ABSTRACT OF DISCUSSION

: The importance of informing the members of the medical profession of the incidence and causes of anesthetic deaths is becoming increas¬ ingly apparent as the vital part played in surgery by proper anesthesia becomes more widely recognized. Until the past two decades little emphasis was placed on the contribution of anesthesia to the total of surgical fatalities. The progress made in the perfection of operative technic and the increased number of well trained and skilful surgeons have resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of operations performed. These changes have focused attention on the dangers associated with anesthesia. Consequently, many hospitals with progressive surgical departments have become more concerned with the proper administration of anesthesia. As Dr. Ruth has pointed out, in some institutions anesthesia has progressed little in the century since its introduction. The fact that it has failed to keep pace with the advances made in surgery is evident in the comparatively large number of preventable deaths which have occurred, often in good risk patients undergoing minor opera¬ tions. Nearly 50 per cent of the deaths studied in this report were classified as preventable. Additional evidence accumulated by the Cleveland and the Ohio Anesthesia Study Commissions supports Dr. Ruth's findings that many more deaths occur as a result of anesthesia than is generally appreciated. In the past, there has been an unfortunate tendency to minimize the importance of this problem because the majority of fatalities have not been carefully studied. When complications do occur, they are often briefly dismissed by blaming the anesthetic drug or technic. Our experience indicates that if we are to increase the safety of anesthesia, more emphasis must be placed on the skill and training of the anesthetist. The establishment of additional anesthesia study commissions, as outlined by Dr. Ruth, will be an important means of obtaining further information relative to fatalities during anesthesia and of making such information known to the members of the medical profession. In 1944 the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association adopted a resolution urging the formation of anes¬ thesia study commissions within state, county and other medical societies. Anesthesiologists can render an important service by assisting in this program.